“Move it,” the other person said, stepping closer and shoving me in the shoulder. Shadows covered his face, but I could make out a pointed nose and pale skin. Cropped black hair. At least a foot taller than me.

I didn’t recognize the girl holding my hair, either, when I turned my head to look. Blonde, with dark eyes. Sharp, manicured nails flinted in the minuscule light. Short, though. I would have an advantage over her. “Let go of me,” I demanded.

She yanked on my hair again, making my neck snap back with the force. “Shut up and move.”

Crowding in on me, they didn’t leave me much space to defend myself as they marched me back to the library, back to where Claude had caught me creeping around. It was hidden well and cut off from the rest of the path.

This would be bad.

I knew they wouldn’t kill me. I was eighty-percent sure they wouldn’t kill me. But there were many ways in which you could be hurt without dying. I had to make my move, quickly.

My hands flexed, ready to move, but I hesitated. What would happen if I attacked them? It would be in self-defense. But would that mean anything? Would anyone even believe me? Wouldn’t it just be better to let them do whatever they wanted to do?

I considered the fact they’d waited until I was alone. No. I needed to get out.

I went after the girl first. I grabbed her thumb with one hand and her pointer finger with the other, pulling with the same force in which she pulled my hair. A sharp cry left her lips and she let me go. I had seconds to break free from the guy. Shoving my left hand into the crevice of his elbow I gripped it hard, using my right hand to swing him forward. He lost his balance and I ducked and ran.

If I made it back into the library, I would be safe. It wasn’t that far.

I’d only taken a few steps before the girl was in front of me again. She slapped me hard enough to send me stumbling and for my cheek to burn. “Did you forget vampires are your natural predator? You can’t outrun us. I don’t even know how your stupid family managed to kill so many of us.”

I held my tongue. Talking was wasting time. They didn’t plan on letting me go and I couldn’t escape. What next? My dagger was strapped to my thigh… but I’d never attacked anyone with it. The only thing I’d struck with it were the dummies. Never anything living. Maybe I could just threaten them with it.

“Our friends want to meet you. Don’t be so scared.” The guy chuckled, taking a strand of my hair between his fingers.

“Can’t say this is the most welcoming gathering I’ve experienced,” I responded.

“Just wait.”

I let him manhandle me again. My cheek smarted and I could feel stickiness on my skin. I was bleeding. Neither of the vampires seemed to mind though. Although my heart raced, my mind was clear. If I let panic overtake me, it was over. I guess that was one thing to be thankful to my father about. He’d trained me to keep calm in the most daunting situations. Whatever they planned to do to me probably failed in comparison to what I’d already been through.

Instead of behind the building like I thought we were heading, they steered me into the woods. Now my breath caught in my throat. If I had any chance of escaping, I needed to know how to get out of the forest. Brush and twigs scraped against my bare legs as they unceremoniously hauled me deeper in. They stayed straight, though. Good. They weren’t trying to disconcert me. Or they didn’t think about doing it.

I counted my steps and kept an eye out for landmarks. Eventually, we came to a clearing and a rush went to my head, making me light-headed. Twelve? No, fifteen other students waited in the tall grass, concealed by the night.

A rough shove sent me sprawling forward. I kept my balance, standing up to my full height. My muscles were tensed— I was afraid if I loosened them my body would betray me and show my fear. My lips were fixed in a straight line and I glared at the group of people in front of me.

“You don’t look surprised to see us,” one of the vampires said and I fixed my glare on Rehan as he made himself known.

“I was expecting more of you.”

“Have a death wish?”

“No. There will be consequences for whatever you have planned to do to me,” I said. “You won’t kill me.”

Rehan dipped his head. “You’re right. We won’t kill you.” He was in front of me before I could blink and the cold metal of a dagger was pressed against my neck. “But I’m sure you know there are many ways to hurt someone without killing them. Your family is known for their torture tactics.”

Torture? No, that wasn’t true. No matter how ruthless my father was, he wouldn’t resort to that. I didn’t say that out loud. Rehan’s blade was too close to my throat.

“What do you prefer?”

I stared at him.

A smirk crept across his features. “A cut for every family member we’ve lost? Or would you prefer no weapons?” He opened his mouth pointedly, fangs displayed. “Not including natural ones.”

“The third option.”

He tiled his head.

I hooked my hand onto the hilt of my dagger, pulling out. I had two seconds to decide where to attack him in a place that wouldn’t cause lasting damage. Going for his neck could cause damage to his carotid artery. I could cut his rotator cuff if I went for his shoulder. But I had to decide.

Now.

I went for his chin. A quick and shallow slice. Enough just to startle him. His own blade swept across my skin as he moved back, but the pain was minimal. Twisting on my heel, I bolted for the woods. The odds of escaping were slim. Once under the cover of the trees, I had a better chance.

My heart pounded as I flung myself through the darkness. I knew this would happen. And I thought I was prepared. But my eyes stung and I found it hard to breathe. Panic engulfed me. I didn’t want to be hurt.

I hated how scared I truly was.

The crashing of many feet behind me met my ears, spurring me faster. I went blindly, ducking around thick trees, diving over dry bramble. It tore at me, leaving stinging lashes. But that was nothing compared to the damage a blade could do.

I wanted to call out for help. But there was no one to help me. I was on my own. Like always. I could handle it.

The ground suddenly tilted and I stumbled my way down an incline, sliding in the dirt and falling backward. My skirt bunched up and my thighs caught the brunt of the landing, twigs and pebbles jamming into the soft skin. I pushed myself up and saw a dark shape in the corner of my eye. Dense bushes that could hide me.

I ran to it, ignoring the throbbing of my legs. Crouching down, I tucked myself as far as I could, closing my eyes as branches poked at me. Controlling my breath took all my focus. They could hear even the slightest sound. Even a little head start wouldn’t keep me safe because they would be able to hear no matter how far I ran. Hiding was my only option.

The chances of escaping were slim. I gently slid my phone out of my pocket, glad they hadn’t thought of taking it. Kaz’s number was the only one I had. My fingers trembled as I typed out a message, missing the letters, and having to start over three times.

Behind the library woods hlpe me-

Just as I hit send, a twig snapped in front of me.

“You can hide your body, but you can’t hide the scent of your blood.”

A hand grabbed the collar of my shirt and hoisted me up. Rehan took my jaw in his free hand and turned it to the side, baring my neck to him.

“Your family did well in concealing you all these years. You don’t know how long we’ve waited to get our hands on you.”

What did he mean by that? My family didn’t hide me. Everyone here knew who I was. Why did they think I’d been hidden? I reached for my dagger again, but he predicted my move and slammed me back to the ground, kicking the weapon from my reach.

My breath was knocked from me and my head ricocheted off the compounded earth. “What?” I challenged, breathless. “You didn’t want to do anything in class today? You needed the cover of night so you wouldn’t be caught?”

“Nah, I just wasn’t the only one who wanted in on this. Why be selfish and spoil everyone’s fun?’

Fun.

Rehan hauled me back to my feet. I swayed a little, my head spinning. I was tired of being manhandled.

“Come on, let’s rejoin the group. We don’t want our plans to go to waste. I think you’ll enjoy them.” His hand tightened on my neck. “Or at least I will.”